Catch Me If You Can is a musical drama with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It follows the story of a con artist named Frank Abagnale. A majority of the plot is borrowed from the 2002 film of the same name, which in turn was based on the 1980 autobiography of the same name by Abagnale and Stan Redding.
After a tryout musical performance in Seattle in 2009, Catch Me If You Can opened at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre in April 2011. The production received four Tony Awards nominations, including one for Best Musical, winning Best Actor in a Musical for Norbert Leo Butz.
Productions
Readings and workshops (2005–2008) The musical had a reading in 2005, directed by Jack O'Brien, with Nathan Lane, Tom Wopat, Brandon Wardell and Matthew Morrison. In private workshops held in July 2007, O'Brien was director, with Nathan Lane, Christian Borle, Angie Schworer, Tom Wopat and Brandon Wardell. Other actors involved in the readings included Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Sara Gettelfinger, Katharine McPhee, Felicia Finley, Autumn Hurlbert, Lauren Ashley Zakrin and Annaleigh Ashford.
Seattle tryout (2009)
The musical was originally scheduled to premiere on July 25, 2009, at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, with Jack O'Brien as director and choreography by Jerry Mitchell. The 5th Avenue Theatre previously held the world premiere of the creative team's hit musical Hairspray. The first few days of previews of the show were cancelled due to a tragedy in Norbert Leo Butz's family (Butz played Carl Hanratty). The musical premiered on July 28, 2009, and ended August 16, 2009.
In addition to Butz, the cast included Aaron Tveit as Frank, Tom Wopat as Frank Sr., Kerry Butler as Brenda, Linda Hart as Carol, and Nick Wyman as Roger.
The production received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Broadway (2011) On March 11, 2011, the musical began preview performances on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre, with an official opening date on April 10, 2011. The show featured most of the Seattle cast, with Butz, Tveit, Wopat, and Butler appearing in leading roles. Other Seattle cast members included: Linda Hart, Nick Wyman, Rachel deBenedet, Brandon Wardell, Timothy McCuen Piggee, and Angie Schworer. The production had scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, and musical direction by John McDaniel; O'Brien and Mitchell were the director and choreographer, respectively.
The production closed September 4, 2011, after 32 previews and 170 regular performances.
US tour (2012–13)
A United States national tour, presented by Troika Entertainment, began performances October 7, 2012, in Providence, Rhode Island. The tour was contracted through July 28, 2013. The production features Stephen Anthony as Frank Abagnale Jr. and Merritt David Janes as Agent Carl Hanratty.
Synopsis
Act I
In the 1960s, Frank Abagnale Jr., a young con man, is cornered at the Miami International Airport by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty and his team. Hanratty asserts that there's no use in running, as his men are trained to shoot. Before his arrest, Frank pleads with Hanratty to allow him to inform the people in the airport why they're beating at him, though Hanratty only wants to know how he passed the bar exam in New Orleans to pose as a lawyer. Frank promises to tell him all his secrets if they allow him to tell his story ("Live in Living Color"). A reluctant Hanratty agrees.
In a home in New Rochelle, New York, Frank lives with his parents Frank Abagnale Sr. and Paula Abagnale. His parents met in Montrichard, France, during World War II. Paula was performing at a diner and noticed Frank Sr. among the soldiers in the audience ("The Pinstripes Are All That They See"), marrying him soon after. Due to money shortages, Frank is unable to attend private school, nonetheless wearing his school jacket to public school. He is taunted there as looking like a substitute teacher, which gives Frank an idea; a few days later, the principal informs his parents that Frank has been teaching French class at the school while their teacher is absent.
One day, Frank walks home from school to find his mother dancing with one of Frank Sr.'s friends. She pleads with him not to tell Frank Sr., but a distraught Frank is soon in court, with Paula and Frank Sr. fighting over custody of him. Frank decides to run away ("Someone Else's Skin"). He soon learns to create fake checks, cashing them at banks across the country and successfully conning millions of dollars.